Benin’s government has confirmed that 54 soldiers were killed in an attack by an Al Qaeda affiliate in the country’s north last week.
The announcement comes after the Al Qaeda affiliate, JNIM, claimed to have killed 70 soldiers in raids on two military posts.
The attack is part of a growing trend of jihadist activity in Benin and neighboring Togo, as groups linked to Islamic State and Al Qaeda spread from the Sahel region into northern areas.
The Sahel insurgency, which began in Mali in 2012, has resulted in thousands of deaths and millions displaced, contributing to military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
